| lowericon |
Deadhand Style is an unarmed combat style feat with the following power:
Benefit(s): While using this style, if you have at least 1 point in your ki pool, you gain a +2 bonus on saves against fear effects, and the DC of Intimidate checks against you increases by 4. As a swift action, you can spend 1 point from your ki pool to empower your unarmed strikes. Creatures hit with your unarmed strikes must succeed at a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Wisdom modifier) or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Copy-pasted that from the PFSRD. Now I have 2 questions:
1) Does the shaken effect stack? Could this be used to make an enemy frightened or panicked?
2) If you use a ki point to "empower your unarmed strikes" how long does that last?
Later feats in the chain (Deadhand Initiate, Deadhand Master) do not cause fear of any type to an opponent.
| Korlos |
1) In general, an effect doesn't stack with itself. I tried to find a relevant citation, but I'm on my phone and it's annoying.
2) Good question. The feat is completely silent. I imagine it's supposed to last one attack or one round. Nothing to back that up, though.
Edit: The author could have intended to mean that entering the style costs 1 ki point and the benefits last as long as you remain in the style.
| lowericon |
1) In general, an effect doesn't stack with itself.
OK, makes sense. Follow-up question: Do you think it could stack with Grave Touch?
Grave Touch (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you can make a melee touch attack as a standard action that causes a living creature to become shaken for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your sorcerer level (minimum 1). If you touch a shaken creature with this ability, it becomes frightened for 1 round if it has fewer Hit Dice than your sorcerer level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
This is the 1st-level bloodline power for the Undead Sorcerer bloodline, which does stack with itself under certain specific circumstances. (The exception that proves the rule)
If I had that bloodline and also the Deadhand feat, could they stack?
| Korlos |
Grave touch talks about how it stacks with other fear effects, not how it stacks with itself. [The general rule](http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/special-abilities#TOC-Fear) is that a shaken creature that receives another shaken effect becomes frightened. Grave touch specifies that this only happens under certain conditions. If you apply grave touch and then Dead Hand Style, they will be frightened if they fail both saves.